Apple has issued alerts to individuals across the globe who may have been targeted by government-sponsored spyware. The notifications, which began appearing Tuesday, represent the latest chapter in an ongoing battle between technology companies and sophisticated surveillance tools that threaten press freedom, political activism, and civil liberties worldwide—issues that continue to resonate deeply with American privacy concerns following years of revelations about government surveillance capabilities.
Listen to a Summary of this Article
What we know about the latest spyware campaign
The notifications from Apple warned recipients that they were likely targeted “because of who you are or what you do,” according to screenshots shared by affected individuals. So far, two recipients have publicly acknowledged receiving these warnings: Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino of the online news outlet Fanpage and Dutch right-wing activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek. Both received emails and text messages from Apple on Tuesday.
Yesterday I got a verified threat notification from Apple stating they detected a mercenary spyware attack against my iPhone.
We’re talking spyware like Pegasus.
All I know for sure right now is that someone is trying to intimidate me.
I have a message for them: It won’t work. pic.twitter.com/mLPVyttFwm
— Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) April 30, 2025
According to Pellegrino’s account, the Apple notification explicitly mentioned that “today’s notification is being sent to affected users in 100 countries,” suggesting a widespread and coordinated surveillance campaign. The company reportedly expressed “high confidence” in its warnings, urging recipients to take the alerts seriously.
Vlaardingerbroek, who shared a screenshot of her notification on social media platform X, characterized the targeting as “an attempt to intimidate me, an attempt to silence me.” The full scope of affected individuals remains unclear, as most recipients have not come forward publicly.
The American context: Mercenary spyware and its implications
For American citizens, the proliferation of what experts call “mercenary spyware”—sophisticated surveillance tools developed by private companies and sold to government clients—represents a growing threat to constitutional protections. While the U.S. government has taken steps to restrict the use of such tools domestically, American journalists, activists, and political figures remain potential targets from both foreign and domestic actors.
This latest campaign follows a pattern of tech companies, including Google and WhatsApp, periodically alerting users to sophisticated targeting attempts. Apple itself has issued similar warnings twice last year across dozens of countries, highlighting the global nature of this surveillance marketplace.
The Italian connection and broader implications
The targeting of Italian journalists appears to be part of a concerning pattern. Pellegrino is the second Fanpage journalist identified as a spyware target this year, following his colleague Francesco Cancellato, who received a warning from WhatsApp in February. In Cancellato’s case, WhatsApp attributed the attack to Paragon Solutions, an Israeli spyware developer.
Following these revelations and additional reports that members of Mediterranea Saving Humans, a migrant rescue organization, were also targeted, Paragon reportedly severed ties with its Italian government customer. This suggests potential government involvement in surveillance of journalists and humanitarian workers—a troubling precedent for press freedom advocates in the United States and globally.
How are tech companies responding to the surveillance industry?
Apple, Google, WhatsApp, and other major technology platforms have increasingly taken proactive measures to detect and disrupt sophisticated spyware operations targeting their users. These companies now regularly issue warnings to affected individuals and direct them to nonprofit organizations specializing in investigating such attacks.
For American users, these corporate efforts represent an important line of defense against surveillance technologies that often exploit previously unknown software vulnerabilities, known as “zero-days.” The cat-and-mouse game between spyware developers and technology platforms continues to escalate in sophistication.
Despite requests for comment, Apple has not provided additional details about the specific spyware campaign behind these latest notifications. The company’s silence leaves open questions about which governments might be involved and what specific technologies were deployed in these targeting attempts.
The growing global surveillance marketplace
The proliferation of commercial spyware has created a shadowy international marketplace where surveillance capabilities once limited to the most sophisticated intelligence agencies are now available to dozens of governments worldwide. For Americans concerned about digital privacy, this democratization of surveillance technology represents a significant shift in the threat landscape.
As these tools become more accessible, the line between legitimate security operations and authoritarian surveillance continues to blur. The targeting of journalists and activists across 100 countries suggests that no democratic society is immune to these challenges to privacy and free expression, fundamental values enshrined in America’s constitutional tradition.